“Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher”. William Wordsworth

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvellous”. Aristotle

I’ve just returned from a trip to Phoenix, Arizona, where I’ve been spending time with my coach, Steve Chandler, and 30 other coaches.

As it was my first visit to that part of Arizona, I took the opportunity to visit a few of the local attractions, like the wonderful Phoenix Art Museum.

I also love visiting gardens. Nature is such an inspiration. So a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden was a must. On advice from the hotel receptionist, I got there before 8am while the temperature was ‘cool’ (84˚F/28˚C!) and by 10:30 when I stopped for a much needed iced lemonade at the cafe, it was over 100˚F/37˚C. This garden is astoundingly beautiful and varied.

I sat and wondered how anything survived in that heat. So far this year there has only been 2.5” of rainfall. Yet the plants including cacti, aloe, mesquite, and the many birds and animals I saw in the garden thrive because they have adapted to live in those conditions and the original local population (before the advent of air conditioning) survived with them. How resourceful nature and we human beings are. We discover opportunities in every situation – even adversity.

Some of my best opportunities have arrived at ‘difficult’ times – opportunities for significant promotion happened when I returned to work after my eldest daughter was born and again after my marriage broke up. I wasn’t sure about taking them with all the demands in my personal life, but I did and have never regretted it. It wasn’t easy. At times I felt lost, overwhelmed, frustrated, but I learned how to be resilient and the learning and experience from those occasions stood me in good stead for other situations later. I didn’t know about coaching then - how it helps you to clarify and focus on what’s important and move you forward. That support would have been invaluable.

Who do you know who is facing challenges at the moment? Imagine them getting through the situation – thriving, not just surviving – and looking back and feeling proud of what’s been achieved, with support and encouragement along the way.

Suggest they call me on 01763 245323. They’ll be glad they did - and so will you for making the suggestion.

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Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.